Michael Quinn Patton in Waterloo Region
Skip to the audio podcast of the event
Skip to the presentation slides of the event
Social Innovation Generation was delighted to host Michael Quinn Patton, pioneer of developmental evaluation, in Waterloo Region on the evening of Monday, October 4th, 2010 for a speaking event to coincide with the release of his latest book, Developmental Evaluation: Applying Complexity Concepts to Enhance Innovation and Use (Guilford Press, 2010).
A Powerful Approach for Tracking and Adapting Innovations in Complex Environments
"Developmental Evaluation (DE) can be used for a range of purposes: ongoing program development, developing new and innovative models, adapting effective principles of practice to local contexts, taking innovations to scale, and facilitating rapid assessments in crisis situations."
- Michael Quinn Patton
Audio Podcast of the Event
Part 1: In the first part of the talk, Dr. Patton reflects on his current efforts within the field of developmental evaluation and the events that led to the his most recent book being published. Michael presents the genesis story of the Maori People of New Zealand as an analogy to developmental evaluation. He also speaks about The Blandin Community Leadership Program through which he discovered the need for developmental evaluation.
Part 2: In the second part of the talk, Dr. Patton first speaks about Henry Mintzberg's work on strategy, discussing the difference between 'unrealized strategy', 'deliberate strategy', and 'emergent strategy'. Michael continues to speak about the 5 types of Developmental Evaluation referencing the panarchy model, polio vaccinations, prescriptive models versus adaptive models and the Kids Cafe at the Damiano Centre.
Part 3: In the last part of the talk, Dr. Patton answers questions from the audience including questions about the role of developmental evaluation in the government, non-profit organizations and private industries.
Presentation Slides
More about Developmental Evaluation....
The Imagination Required for Development
"Combining the rigour of evaluation with the flexibility and imagination required for development, this new form of evaluation brings critical thinking to bear on the creative process in initiatives involving high levels of uncertainty, innovation, emergence, and social complexity." Jamie Gamble, A Developmental Evaluation Primer (2008)
The Goal is Learning
"Pioneered by Michael Quinn Patton, “Developmental evaluation” overturns many of the assumptions of more traditional approaches... As this Foundation shifted its funding to complex, long-term initiatives that are not so much pre-planned as emergent, the inadequacy of the usual evaluation methods became evident. We needed a compass, not a roadmap. We needed to know we were on the right track.....many of the McConnell Foundation-funded initiatives work in uncertain territory, developing and testing their strategies as they proceed; there are no blueprints for empowering youth, attacking poverty, or promoting innovative approaches to solve entrenched social problems." Tim Brodhead, President & CEO, J.W. McConnell Family Foundation